Finch will prefer to forget this nightmare

AARON Finch’s first 38 balls in Test cricket in Australia could hardly have been more eventful after a duck and a moment of DRS madness.

Debate raged pre-game about Finch opening for his country in Adelaide and the arguments against it were deafening after a first-innings failure. Finch was bowled for a third-ball duck by Ishant Sharma, with his stumps splashed across the country in a picture of the wickets flying out of the ground.

It was a long two days in the field for the Victorian as he stewed over his next opportunity, which came after he took four catches in the field.

Finch could have been out second ball in the second innings when Sharma again rapped him on the pads and umpire Kumar Dharmasena thrust his finger skywards.

As he thought “no way, not again” Finch called for a review, and was saved not by the ball missing the stumps, but by Sharma overstepping. It was a no-ball, creating the rare occurrence for Australia’s first run to come via an extra achieved after a DRS decision.

Given a reprieve, Finch was struck on the pads again the very next ball, his bat hitting his toe as he fell across his stumps. So to recap, through five balls, he could have been out twice for two ducks, and was still scoreless.

Finch fought his way to 11, but his Adelaide effort continued when a spinning, bouncing ball from Ravi Ashwin got him prodding forward, bobbed into the air and was caught by keeper Rishabh Pant.

Umpire Nigel Llong stuck his finger up, but Finch was unsure, and, staggeringly, didn’t call for the third umpire to have a look.

After deliberating with opening partner Marcus Harris, playing his first Test, Finch walked.

Replays suggested this time both Llong and Finch had made a howler.

There was nothing on hotspot, nothing on Snicko, and only a faint chance the ball may have glanced Finch’s glove.